Abstract: A system and method for analyzing agent interactions is provided. An interaction between an agent and a business is provided to analysts. Performance scores for the interaction are received from each of the analysts and compared. A deviation between the performance score is determined. The deviation is compared to a threshold. Further interactions are provided to at least one of the analysts when the deviation falls below the threshold. A further performance score for the interaction is received from the analyst and provided to the agent associated with the interaction.

Abstract: A system and method for retaining calls info a call center is provided. A multiplicity of calls is received into a call center. The nature of each call is determined and the calls are temporarily saved. One or more of the saved calls is retained by performing a plurality of evaluations against criteria. The saved calls that are not retained are discarded. Each of the saved calls retained are stored as a recording identified by the nature of each call.

Abstract: A system and method for identifying audio command prompts for use in a voice response environment is provided. A signature is generated for audio samples each having preceding audio, reference phrase audio, and trailing audio segments. The trailing segment is removed and each of the preceding and reference phrase segments are divided into buffers. The buffers are transformed into discrete fourier transform buffers. One of the discrete fourier transform buffers from the reference phrase segment that is dissimilar to each of the discrete fourier transform buffers from the preceding segment is selected as the signature. Audio command prompts are processed to generate a discrete fourier transform. Each discrete fourier transform for the audio command prompts is compared with each of the signatures and a correlation value is determined. One such audio command prompt matches one such signature when the correlation value for that audio command prompt satisfies a threshold.

Abstract: A system and method for reviewing inputted voice instructions in a vehicle-based telematics control unit. The system includes a microphone, a speech recognition processor, and an output device. The microphone receives voice instructions from a user. Coupled to the microphone is the speech recognition processor that generates a voice signal by performing speech recognition processing of the received voice instructions. The output device outputs the generated voice signal to the user. The system also includes a user interface for allowing the user to approve the outputted voice signal, and a communication component for wirelessly sending the generated voice signal to a server over a wireless network upon approval by the user.

Abstract: A system and method for efficiently transcribing verbal messages transmitted over the Internet (or other network) into text. The verbal messages are initially checked to ensure that they are in a valid format and include a return network address, and if so, are processed either as whole verbal messages or split into segments. These whole verbal messages and segments are processed by an automated speech recognition (ASR) program, which produces automatically recognized text. The automatically recognized text messages or segments are assigned to selected workbenches for manual editing and transcription, producing edited text. The segments of edited text are reassembled to produce whole edited text messages, undergo post processing to correct minor errors and output as an email, an SMS message, a file, or an input to a program. The automatically recognized text and manual edits thereof are returned as feedback to the ASR program to improve its accuracy.

Abstract: A system and method for providing message-based communications via a centralized voice message server is provided. A plurality of communication devices are interfaced over a data network. A session is initiated upon receipt of a sign-in request from one of the communication devices. An identity of a user associated with that communication device is verified. The user is assigned to at least one discussion group, which includes one or more other signed-in users each associated with an other communication device located at a location removed from the communication device. A voice message is received on a message server from the user. The voice message is encrypted for each of the other signed-in users using keys unique to the other communication devices associated with the other signed-in users. The encrypted voice message is provided from the message server to the other signed-in users.

Abstract: A system and method for providing services to users in vehicles based on radio broadcasts received by a vehicle's radio receiver. The system includes a computer-based vehicle unit located in a vehicle, a gateway configured to wirelessly send and receive information to and from the vehicle unit, and a computer-based server in communication with the gateway over a network. The vehicle unit includes a user interface component that presents the received content and radio broadcast and records user requests. The server processes the requests and sends confirmation messages back to the unit via the gateway when a request is completed or other information needs to he sent to the unit. The vehicle unit wirelessly receives a radio broadcast from a radio station, transmits user requests and vehicle information to the server via the gateway, and receives content back from the server.

Abstract: A system and method for providing an automated call center inline architecture is provided. A plurality of grammar references and prompts are maintained on a script engine. A call is received through a telephony interface. Audio data is collected using the prompts from the script engine, which are transmitted to the telephony interface via a message server. Distributed speech recognition is performed on a speech server. The grammar references are received from the script engine via the message server. Speech results are determined by applying the grammar references to the audio data. A new grammar is formed from the speech results. Speech recognition results are identified by applying the new grammar to the audio data. The speech recognition results are received as a display on an agent console.

Abstract: A phone embedded within a vehicle for automatically using a service plan of a proximate personal mobile phone. The embedded phone includes an internal communication component that detects the presence of the personal mobile phone, and receives a mobile subscriber identification number from the detected phone. The embedded phone also includes an external communication component that sends the received mobile subscriber identification number to a wireless network authority, and receives an authentication request to the personal mobile phone via the embedded phone. The internal communication component sends the authentication request to the personal mobile phone. The personal mobile phone generates an authentication signal, and the external communication component sends the authentication signal to the wireless network authority.

Abstract: A comprehensive system and method for telematics including the following features individually or in sub-combinations: vehicle user interfaces, telecommunications, speech recognition, digital commerce and vehicle parking, digital signal processing, wireless transmission of digitized voice input, navigational assistance for motorists, data communication to vehicles, mobile client-server communication, extending coverage and bandwidth of wireless communication services, and noise reduction.

Abstract: A system and method for providing a message-based communications infrastructure for automated call center post-call processing is described. Verbal speech utterances in a stream of recorded user messages are identified. The recorded user messages are parsed from a call with a user into a call center. The stream of recorded user messages are stored into a database maintained by the call center. The call is processed through an agent. One or more of the user messages is presented to the agent. Commands on the user messages are executed responsive to the agent.

Abstract: A system and method for providing services to users in vehicles based on radio broadcasts received by a vehicle's radio receiver. The system includes a computer-based vehicle unit located in a vehicle, a gateway configured to wirelessly send and receive information to and from the vehicle unit, and a computer-based server in communication with the gateway over a network. The vehicle unit includes a user interface component that presents the received content and radio broadcast and records user requests. The server processes the requests and sends confirmation messages back to the unit via the gateway when a request is completed or other information needs to be sent to the unit. The vehicle unit wirelessly receives a radio broadcast from a radio station, transmits user requests and vehicle information to the server via the gateway, and receives content back from the server.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for monitoring an interaction between a caller and an automated voice response (AVR) system is provided. An audio communication from a caller is processed by executing an AVR script, which includes a plurality of instructions. A visual representation of the audio communication is presented substantially simultaneously with the audio communication to an agent based on the AVR script. The visual representation includes at least one field to be populated with information obtained from the caller and the information populated in the field can be updated by the agent.

Abstract: A multi-modal call is accepted from a caller through a telephony interface, which accommodates multi-modal calls including at least one of verbal speech and text messaging. Incoming speech in the multi-modal call is converted into transcribed text. Incoming text messaging is matched with the transcribed text. The multi-modal call is automatically assigned through a session manager to a session under operation of a live agent. The transcribed text and incoming text messaging are progressively processed during the session through an agent application by performing a customer support scenario interactively monitored and controlled by the live agent.

Abstract: A system and method for enabling two computer systems to communicate over an audio communications channel, such as a voice telephony connection. Such a system includes a software application that enables a user's computer to call, interrogate, download, and manage a voicemail account stored on a telephone company's computer, without human intervention. A voicemail retrieved from the telephone company's computer can be stored in a digital format on the user's computer. In such a format, the voicemail can be readily archived, or even distributed throughout a network, such as the Internet, in a digital form, such as an email attachment. Preferably a computationally efficient audio recognition algorithm is employed by the user's computer to respond to and navigate the automated audio menu of the telephone company's computer.

Abstract: A system and a method for facilitating communication between a remote station and a service network are disclosed. A remote station is associated with a first communicator configured to communicate over a first communication network and a second communicator configured to communicate over a second communication network. A communication controller associated with the remote station and coupled with the first communicator and the second communicator is operable to transmit a first set of signals using the first communicator a second set of signals using the second communicator. A mobile network access point is directable to within a communication range of the second communicator of the remote station when the remote station is outside of an existing communication range of the second communication network and the first set of signals includes a resource request for the second communication network.

Abstract: A system and method for balancing agent console load during automated call processing is provided. A plurality of agent consoles are operated in a call center. Progress of a call session of a caller that is calling into the call center at each agent console is monitored. An absolute upper limit on a number of the call sessions allowed at each agent console at any given time is assigned. A load of call session assignments on each agent console is balanced. Objective and subjective conditions pertinent to each assigned call session are continually collected from each agent console. The objective and subjective conditions that affect call session availability are updated for each agent console. The objective and subjective conditions are evaluated against the absolute upper limit to determine a load factor. Each call session is assigned to one such agent console within bounds applicable to the load factor.

Abstract: A marker is derived from an interaction between a person and an agent of a business and the agent's user interface. A part of a speech signal that corresponds to a portion of the person's special information is located with the marker. The speech signal results from the interaction between the person and the agent. The part of the speech signal that corresponds to the portion of the person's special information is rendered unintelligible.

Abstract: A phone embedded within a vehicle for automatically using a service plan of a proximate personal mobile phone. The embedded phone includes an internal communication component that detects the presence of the personal mobile phone, and receives a mobile subscriber identification number from the detected phone. The embedded phone also includes an external communication component that sends the received mobile subscriber identification number to a wireless network authority, and receives an authentication request to the personal mobile phone via the embedded phone. The internal communication component sends the authentication request to the personal mobile phone. The personal mobile phone generates an authentication signal, and the external communication component sends the authentication signal to the wireless network authority.

Abstract: A system and a method for facilitating communication between a remote station and a service network are disclosed. A remote station is associated with a first communicator configured to communicate over a first communication network and a second communicator configured to communicate over a second communication network. A communication controller associated with the remote station and coupled with the first communicator and the second communicator is operable to transmit a first set of signals using the first communicator a second set of signals using the second communicator. A mobile network access point is directable to within a communication range of the second communicator of the remote station when the remote station is outside of an existing communication range of the second communication network and the first set of signals includes a resource request for the second communication network.